


Le Chevaliers des Fleurs

by vix_spes



Category: Basic Instinct (Movies), Clash of the Titans (2010), Hannibal Extended Universe - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crossover, FlowerBear, Fluff, Getting Together, Hannibal Extended Universe, M/M, Nineteenth Century, Prostitution, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 18:31:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13507350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: Adam Towers, le Chevaliers des Fleurs, was one of the most famous demimondain in Paris, always flitting from lover to lover. And then he met Draco, the young Vicomte d'Argive.





	Le Chevaliers des Fleurs

**Author's Note:**

> My submission for #LightsCameraMurder ... a FlowerBear version of La Dame aux Camélias.

As usual, Adam didn’t bother rising from his bed until mid-morning. Why should he? It wasn’t expected of him, and besides, Draco wasn’t in Paris at the moment which meant that Adam was even more disinclined to rise from his bed. Adam had always prided himself upon being fiercely independent and had been ever since he ran away from home as a teenager. He had sworn that he would never be beholden to anyone, yet Draco had changed all of that. His bear had swept into Adam’s life some six months ago and turned it completely upside down.

_***FLASHBACK***_

As was his habit, every day at the same time, Adam would take his carriage to the suburbs of Paris and take a walk in the woods for an hour or so before he returned home to prepare for the evening. It could be anything, an evening at the theatre where Adam never missed an opening night be it a play, an opera or a ballet, an evening of cards or a lavish party. As one of the most well-known demimondaine in Paris, Adam was never at a loss for an invitation. Indeed, he counted some of the capital’s richest and most influential people amongst his patrons, both male and female. He had had them all; members of the aristocracy, stars of the Paris stage and even the odd dissolute member of the clergy. Some of them stayed for just a night, others for longer but the parting was always amicable. At least it was now.

It hadn’t always been so.

Adam hadn’t always lived in Paris. He had grown up in a provincial town where the options for his future had been limited to say the least. It wasn’t enough for Adam, who was ambitious and wanted more for himself for a life of tedium like his parents. The relationship between Adam and his father had never been good but it had deteriorated further until, at the age of sixteen, Adam packed a bag and left, not once looking back.

Having made it to Paris, Adam had soon discovered that life in the big city wasn’t easy. Whilst he was far from unintelligent, his lack of formal education precluded him from many jobs. With his undeniable beauty, Adam turned to the one job that lay open for him; prostitution. Selling himself on street corners had never been Adam’s plan but it kept clothes on his back, food in his belly and a roof over his head.

And then he had met Peter Ristedes.

It had seemed to work at first. Peter had been older than him, handsome and charming; the perfect gentleman. Not only that but the sex was more than good, and, unlike Adam’s clients, Peter seemed to care about his pleasure. It hadn’t taken long for Adam to cut down on the number of clients that he saw before moving in with Peter once less than two months had elapsed. It was once he moved in that things changed. Peter stopped being quite so gentlemanly. He started treating Adam like dirt, expecting him to do all the work around their lodgings and berating him as being good for nothing but spreading his legs. When Peter started to lose heavily at the gambling tables, he saw a way to lessen his debts by offering up Adam instead. Adam had protested, insisting that he had left that life behind him, but Peter had responded that once a whore, always a whore. He had used Adam to settle his debts, telling him that he was nothing but a come dump with a pretty face, good for nothing but to be used by whoever wanted him.

Adam hated it but, by this point, Peter had been so successful in beating him down that Adam had no self-worth left. Until one day, when one of Peter’s creditors had nearly killed him, trying to strangle Adam while he bedded him. Adam had left everything behind, not caring where he went as long as it was away from Peter. Unfortunately for Adam, where he ended up was not much better.

The Comtesse de Tramell was famous in Paris, voracious in her appetites and completely uncaring of the opinion of others. She had been carrying on an affair in public for several years with M. de Glass, neither of them caring about the gossip or, indeed, about M. de Glass’ wife. With them, Adam had a better life than he had with Peter but, even so, it hadn’t been the best for him. Once again, he was ground down until he believed that he was worth nothing except for to bring pleasure to other people. Humiliation was a daily occurrence and Adam was treated as little more than a sexual toy, summoned for their pleasure as and when they felt like it.

It may not have been a healthy relationship and he was not always happy, Adam learnt a lot about himself. It had always amused to dress Adam up as woman and, while he hadn’t been fond of the dresses, Adam had fallen in love with the beautiful lingerie. Even as a child, he had always been drawn to beautiful things and that hadn’t changed, no matter how many times his father had beaten him. The Comtesse had indulged Adam’s love of pretty things and had lavished him with fripperies of silk and lace, in any number of colours. They had come with a fair amount of humiliation, but Adam had found the feel of fabric against his skin and the way the varied pastels looked against his creamy flesh was well-worth it.

It was during this part of his life that Adam cultivated his persona of _Le Chevalier des Fleurs._ He was known for his love of beautiful things and by his resolve to not be constricted by traditional views of the demimonde. His daily attire depended entirely on his mood and always included flowers in some form, whether it be blooms in his hair or embroidery on his frock-coat, while his salon was always filled with fresh blooms. He had been the kept boy of the Comtesse and her lover for some six months when he was cut loose, the ladies attention having been taken by another young man.

Still, by this point, Adam had no need for them. He was leaving in a far better situation than he had left Peter. Whilst the Comtesse and her lover had not always treated him well, he was now regarded as one of the most sought-after demimondaine in Paris, with the lifestyle that went with it.

In a twist of fate, he had then briefly become the companion of Mme de Glass, the wife of M. de Glass. He had thought that it might be awkward but, it had been anything but. Mme was perfectly charming and simply wanted a young, beautiful man to escort her to various events around the capital. She was perfectly aware of his history with her husband and his mistress, even more aware of the whispers that followed them around, but she didn’t care. Instead, she was simply biding her time until she travelled to Italy. Adam had spent several rather enjoyable months as her escort before she had left the city and Adam had quickly become the kept boy of M Gerst and M. Rose in quick succession.

Around this time, Adam’s health had declined, and, in pursuit of better health, he had retreated to the south of France upon doctor’s orders. The sun and plenty of rest, not to mention no demands upon his time and attention, Adam’s health had swiftly returned. His skin regained its glow, his curls were glossy, and he had regained the ever so slight curve to his hips. It had been at this point that Adam had attracted the attention of Baroness Gardosh, a wealthy widow who had departed the capital for the sunny south upon the death of her husband, many years earlier. In Adam, she had seen a carbon copy of her much beloved grandson who had died not too many months before in the Siege of Sevastopol. She had wanted someone to dote upon and Adam had been happy to let her.

The Baroness had lavished him in care and attention as well as material gifts but, more than that, she had wanted Adam to give up his life in Paris. She thought his life to be dissolute and one of sin. Adam was inclined to agree with her but that didn’t mean that he was going to stop. Now that it was his choice, Adam found that not only was he good at sex but that he enjoyed it and had no intention of giving it up. He loved his life in Paris; the theatres, his friends, the lifestyle. He had been sorry to leave – although not as sorry as Baroness Gardosh had been to see him go – but he had not regretted his decision.

Upon his return from the south of France and the patronage of the Baroness, Adam threw a lavish party to celebrate his newly returned health. The great and the good of Paris were in attendance, Adam happily holding court amidst the throng, dressed in his own inimitable style. Among the guests had been Solon, a young Vicomte who had brought with him Draco, the young Vicomte d’Argive; a friend and another member of the aristocracy who was not long returned from service in the Crimean War. As Solon told it, Draco had seen Adam prior to his retreat south and fallen head over heels in love. He had skulked around Adam’s home every day in his absence, hoping to see him.

Adam had been scornful and had ignored the Vicomte in favour of his current lover; the Baron de Washburn. However, when the Baron had refused to give the toast, embarrassing Adam in front of all of his guests, the Vicomte had stepped into his place. Truly looking at him for the first time, Adam had been completely and utterly transfixed. He was built like a bear, albeit a rather well-groomed one. Taller than Adam and broad about the shoulders, he carried himself well, walking with a dancer’s grace. Trailing his gaze higher, Adam saw a full beard and tawny hair in a myriad of colours that fell below the strong shoulders and was intermittently braided in places. Combined with sharp cheekbones, eyes of a colour that Adam couldn’t quite name and full lips, the man was undeniably striking. Even so, Adam was dismissive of him, choosing instead to bestow his attention upon his friends.

However, as the rest of the guests moved to the next room to dance and Adam stayed behind, doubled over with coughs and struggling to breathe, it was Draco who remained behind and enquired after Adam’s health. Refusing to appear weak, Adam had batted aside his concerns and been his usual coquettish self but had been taken aback by the seriousness – and sincerity – of Draco’s tone as he tried to convince Adam of his feelings.

Adam couldn’t help but be scornful. With the way that he had been treated over the years, he didn’t believe in love, let alone love at first sight. However, he couldn’t help but deny that he was more than a little intrigued by the Vicomte and, at the very least, wouldn’t object to getting to know him better. Indeed, when the Vicomte left, Adam had stayed by the window watching as he made his way down the street, their eyes meeting one last time before the Vicomte turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

He had returned to Adam the day after and the day after that until, a week later, Adam had admitted the truth to himself; that not only was he head over heels in love for the first time in his life, but the object of his affections returned them.

_***END FLASHBACK***_

He might not have felt like it, but Adam didn’t want to wallow, simply because Draco wasn’t in town. Adam may be wildly in love but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t still independent; he could do things without Draco. After a light lunch, he dressed and made his usual journey, staying out for the full hour despite his disinclination. Upon his return, he found his closest friend Danae waiting for him. He was, as always, delighted to see her. While Adam had become content with just one man, Danae continued to flit amongst the men of Paris, bestowing her affections on whoever took her fancy from one day to the next. She begged him to accompany her to a party that very evening, cajoling and bribing to no avail. Instead, Adam had laughingly waved her off in a flurry of silks while he had made himself comfortable for the evening.

Stripping to the delicate small-clothes that he preferred, Adam had wrapped himself in a silken robe, luxuriating in the slide of fabric against his naked skin, and retreated to his chaise with the most recent letters that he had received from Draco. He had just turned on the lamps when there was a knock at the door and he heard the voice of the porter, who occasionally acted as Adam’s valet.

“Sir? There is a gentleman to see you.”

Adam sighed. “Tell him that I’m not seeing anyone this evening, or for the foreseeable future.”

Instead of the porter, the voice that replied was a much beloved one. “That is a shame. You won’t see me, my flower?”

Adam all but flew for the door, ripping it open and not caring that his eagerness was clearly apparent. There, stood in the doorway tanned from his time in the country and holding a large bouquet of Adam’s favourite flowers was the very man that he had been desperately missing. Grateful that the porter was making a tactful retreat downstairs – not that it would have stopped Adam if he had stayed -, Adam jumped up and wrapped himself around Draco, peppering his face with kisses that were laughingly returned.

“You’re here! When did you return to Paris?”

“Not an hour ago. I couldn’t stand not seeing you any longer. I simply stopped to drop off my luggage and pick these up for you.”

“They’re beautiful,” Adam craned his neck to look at the blooms that had just about managed to survive his enthusiastic greeting.

“They cannot hold a candle to your beauty, my love.”

Adam had been called many things in his time on the streets, even more humiliating things when he had been with Peter and then Mme de Tramell, but nothing could make him blush like the sweet talk Draco bestowed upon him. Blushing hard, Adam buried his face in Draco’s neck, feeling the soft bristles of his beard brush against his cheek.

“How long are you in Paris for?”

“For as long as you want me.”

The words filled Adam with joy and he pulled back, carding his fingers through the braided locks that he loved so much. “Then you realise that you will never leave? Take me to bed, my bear.”

The smile that spread across Draco’s lips showed off the small fangs that he was so self-conscious of, but that Adam adored and made his eyes crinkle with delight. Adam couldn’t help but trace them, giggling softly as his fingers were grasped and kisses pressed to their tips.

“As you command, so shall I do. It would be my pleasure, my precious flower.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like to share the post on Tumblr, you can find it [here](http://vix-spes.tumblr.com/post/170239646755/le-chevaliers-des-fleurs-chapter-1-vixspes)


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